Aaron at Seven

 Dear Best Friend,

I feel like this year has been the final transition from little kid to big kid for you. You've grown so much in your independence and abilities. You're so easygoing that sometimes it's hard to remember the baby who was so, so needy and whiny. You're 100% our easiest kid right now!

Your greatest pleasure in life is screen time. It's all you think about, all you ask for. Roblox, Minecraft, & Stick War Legacy are your current favorites. 

When we kick you off screens, you love playing war games with Seth in the basement. It usually ends with you screaming in rage at some unfair Seth move, but you continue to ask to play the game. You also love when Catherine comes up with games like Dragon Tamer or Ninja Academy for you all to play. You'll even occasionally play some games involving Legos or dolls with Elise. 

You idolize Seth. Before making any kind of decision, you always ask Seth what he would pick. Which breakfast to cook, what game to play, which song is your favorite...all things you have to consult Seth about. 

You still tend to see things in black & white, but are getting better about not freaking out when your sense of justice is offended. You still really hate to lose games, though. Especially when you lose to Elise.

Math is still one of your favorite things, but it's not quite as much of an obsession as it used to be. You still have a pretty natural understanding of numbers, but you don't seek them out as much or play with them like you used to. I'm hoping it's not because you've started more formal math, because that would break my heart. Other recent obsessions include fungi and Avatar.

You love to read and can often be found on the couch with a book. Your current favorites are Avatar comics and Garfield comics, but you'll read any picture books. 

I worry a little because you don't really have any close friends. You play well with everyone, but you don't have anything close to a best friend. Blake Olivera is probably the closest thing, and we rarely see him. That makes me sad. COVID isn't helping things on that front, either. Luckily you love your siblings and don't seem to mind your lack of buddies at all. 

Sometimes we joke that you are running some kind of computer program in your brain. You have very specific things that are always done the same way (if your coat is on, it is zipped completely up and you have the hood on. Always). You also do things like announce the exact minute you woke up and how far away it is from your programmed wakeup time of 7 am. 

I almost never have to ask you to hang up your coat, or put your shoes away, or put your dirty clothes away. You just do it. Every time. I wish your siblings followed your example a bit more often! 

I am so glad we have an Aaron Best Friend in our family. You are the calm in the middle of the chaos. I'm grateful for your unique personality, your strengths, and the fact that you still have puppy dog eyes and squishy cheeks. Savoring those baby remnants as long as possible! Happy birthday, Best Friend. I love you so. 

Aaron's Seven Year Old Interview (done in December because I'm amazing):

1. What's your favorite color?

"Red because it's dark and it's like fire and lava."

2. What is your favorite food?

"Probably oatmeal pie and ice cream."

3. Who is your best friend?

"Uh...Mom. And Seth."

4. What's your favorite show?

(This stumped him for a LONG time) "Not really anything. I just play. Oh! Avatar. Avatar the Last Airbender."

5. What's your favorite toy?

"Devices. (After I said that wasn't an option) Probably toy weapons."

6. What's your favorite game to play?

"Dungeon Masters" (a game they've made up and play in the basement).

7. What's your favorite game to play on electronics?

"Tower Battles (Roblox)".

8. What's your favorite snack?

"Oatmeal pie and ice cream. The same thing!" (We do not have pie for snack, ever, just FYI). 

9. What's your favorite animal?

"Probably a dog because...they...umm, are like...so they...some of them are loud and some of them are quiet. Like, Michelle's (neighbor) the white dog? She's quiet. But Luke (different neighbor dog) is loud."

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?

"A creator of screens. Like iPads and computers."

11. What's your favorite song?

"Probably one of the songs from a DJ in Tower Battles. Wait! No, no, no, no, no. Nevermind. My favorite song is the songs down in Dungeon Master. The songs we play for bosses." 

12. What's your favorite Primary song?

"Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam."

13. What's your favorite book?

"Probably the Fungus Book. But I just seem to never read it because it's just looking so long and now I can't find it. I've read a little bit of it."

14. What's your favorite school subject?

"Piano lessons. Wait, no. It's either metal, or riding a bike."

Anything else you want to say?

"You can ask what is my favorite normal food." ("One of them is sushi and my other one is the turkey soup that we did.")

"You can also ask what's my favorite drink." ("Pretty much juice like apple cider, and juice, and chocolate milk. Well, chocolate milk isn't juice but it's one of my favorites still. Oh! And the strawberry milk that you make at Valentine's Day if we behave." side note--strawberry milk has never been dependent on behavior)

"That is the end. Goodbye."